Second time up this pair, climbed en route to Eva on a breezy and sometimes snowy December day. The Continental Divide Trail was in good shape between the peaks, only about 6" of snow and easy to follow through the windblown tundra.

Hiked both Colorado Mines and Flora just after Colorado's first snow. Cloudy on top and the only views were from the saddles. The top of the clouds were only about 100 feet above the peak. Windy and cold. My first thirteener in the snow.

Gurlyclimber and I went up these two peaks together. Great early season "warm up" climb. Hardly any snow above treeline, the trail was easy to follow and mostly clear all the way from Colo Mines to Flora.

This could quite be the most misserable mountain that I have been on. It was snowing when I started but I foolishly continued on. When I reached tree line the wind was in its 50 and the snow got even worse. What sucked the most is that I forgot my googles! The snow got so bad near the summit I finaly saw the building when I was 50 ft. away. I made it down alright after what seemed to be a long snow shlog but the damage had been done. I could barlely see with the iceicals on my eyelids and I was tired out from the waist deep snow.

Didnt get to Flora because of weather closing in, but the view from Colorado Mines Peak was great. RMNP to the north and some of the Front Range 14ers to the south. Going to have to head back to get Flora soon

Route Climbed: Straight up from the parking area Date Climbed: March 21, 2005

My buddy Lee and I arrived in Colorado on Saturday the 20th from Cincinnati. The very next day we headed to Berthoud Pass to bag a summit (whatever looked good). Little did we know that after tagging the summit, hanging around for a bit and taking pictures, a swift moving blizzard would blow in and blind us on decent.

Luckily we ran into a local snowboarder who was riding it out and he pointed us in the right directions. Hell of a time!!

After my wife, Katie, and I had hiked Bancroft, Parry and Eva, she descended the Chinn's Lake basin back to Fall River and I continued on to Flora. Great summit with no one to be seen. I also climbed Witter on the way back to the TH.